The high resolution Digital Audio Convertor market is, to me, the most exciting and fastest moving sector in the audiophile industry. It is also global. There are superb products being designed and manufactured all over the world, including Eastern Europe, Australia, and especially Asia. Hong Kong, mainland China, and Korea have been hotbeds lately, as I found out with my recent reviews of several SOtM products, including the sMS-100 Mini Server and the sHP-100 Headphone amp/DAC.Through a business contact I was able to touch base with Bill O’Connell of Morningstar Audio, the importer for all Eastern Electric products in the U.S.A. Bill is one of the nicest and most passionate people you will find in high performance audio. Based in Arlington Heights, IL, he serves the Eastern Electric brand well, with its varied line of tubed phono stage, preamplifier, power ...

Empirical Audio, based in the Pacific Northwest, has a reputation for making excellent digital source components and accessories. They were early pioneers of USB and computer audio as well. Their USB to SPDIF converters and USB DACs are often cited as being among the very best. The flagship Overdrive USB DAC/preamp is considered state of the art by many. Industry veteran Steve Nugent heads up Empirical and has very definite views on high performance audio. I've had the pleasure of communicating with Nugent on occasion, and he is a great believer in computer optimization with USB DACs. He thinks an active preamp is a system's weakest link (I strongly agree).Nugent also believes sound quality, for most digital devices, revolves around the digital clocks, which are crucial for accuracy. Nugent developed a rather unique product called the Synchro-Mesh Reclocker to address ...

The long awaited launch of Google TV is finally here and we couldn't be more excited. We've heard more than our fair share of rumors, and even passed on some of the more reliable ones, but we've finally got the official details on the entire Google TV lineup for 2010.What it DoesFor starters, let's talk about what Google TV is. It's not a product in and of itself, but a platform that runs on specific hardware. Think of it as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS, but for your television. Any piece of gear that has it will have the same capabilities, all of which revolve around internet based content. Using the Logitech Revue, Sony's Internet TV or Blu-ray player you'll be able to browse the web as if you were sitting at a computer. Want to watch a video or ...

Evidence of my recent obsession with evaluating high end audio cable with silver conductors can be found in my two part affordable silver cable overview (LINK), and (LINK), and with my Kimber silver overview (LINK). Element Cable's Silver Serenade interconnect was featured in Part One of my overview, and I found it to be an incredible value and a superb performer punching well above its weight class. I also noted that Element also had a Signature line, priced somewhat higher, and meant to compete with flagship offerings from the very best. It is from the Signature line that I will conclude my silver cable evaluations for the foreseeable future. And it will end with a bit of twist, with silver speaker cables, as opposed to interconnects. This will actually be my first encounter with a pure silver speaker cable, although ...

I've always liked geography and enjoy learning about the associations certain countries have with certain people, products and pastimes. Switzerland is known for its banks and timepieces. France has grapes: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, among many. Germany has Beethoven, Porsche and BMW. Canada has hockey, forests, tundra... and loudspeakers. It wasn't always so.It would take the cooperative efforts of several other audio firms and the Canadian National Research Council (NRC) to bring it and fellow concerns such as Energy, Mirage, Paradigm and PBS into the high-end mainstream. In 1977, the Canadian National Research Council (NRC) announced it would be hosting a study to determine the measurable parameters people associate with good-sounding speakers. The study ran to 1986, and several Canadian loudspeaker manufacturers, including Energy, participated. According to Energy, “flat frequency response, wide dispersion and low distortion consistently scored ...